Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on incidence and mortality of emergency cardiovascular diseases in Tokyo.

BACKGROUND: The impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the incidence and in-hospital mortality of emergency cardiovascular disease (CVD) has not been clarified in Japan. METHODS: We compared the number of admissions and in-hospital mortality for emergency CVD during the pandemic (from January to December 2020) with those of pre-pandemic periods (from January 2018 to December 2019), using quarterly data from the Tokyo Cardiovascular Care Unit Network. The incidence rate in 2020 is compared with the average incidence rate observed in the same quarter of 2018 and 2019 and is presented as an incidence rate ratio (IRR) with 95 % confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: The number of admissions for acute myocardial infarction during the pandemic was significantly lower than before the pandemic, with an IRR of 0.93 (95 % CI; 0.88-0.98). Similarly, the IRR for unstable angina was 0.78 (95 % CI; 0.72-0.83), for acute heart failure was 0.84 (95 % CI; 0.76-0.91), for acute aortic dissection was 0.88 (95 % CI; 0.78-0.98), and for ruptured aortic aneurysm was 0.75 (95 % CI; 0.62-0.88). In quarterly comparisons, the numbers of acute aortic diseases and emergency arrhythmia significantly decreased from July to September 2020, while those of other emergency CVDs significantly declined in the 2020 April-June period, which includes the first wave period in Japan. In-hospital mortality of emergency CVDs was unchanged from the pre-pandemic period, except for acute aortic dissection, which increased in odds ratio of 1.31 (95 % CI 1.10-1.57). CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly reduced the number of admissions for all emergency CVDs in all or part of the year. In-hospital mortality was unchanged from the pre-pandemic period, except for acute aortic dissection, which increased.

Changes in Health Perception among Patients with Aortic Diseases in a Severe COVID-19 Area in the West of Germany: A Longitudinal Study between the First and Second Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background and Objectives: The rapid spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has become the most challenging global health pandemic since the 1918 flu. In Germany, more than 3.4 million cases are confirmed so far, including 83,000 deaths. Increased fatality rates among patients with pre-existing cardiovascular diseases (CVD) represent this group at particular risk. The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in health perception among patients with aortic diseases during the first (w1) and second wave (w2) of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. Material and Methods: Patients (n = 262) diagnosed with aortic disease participated in telephone interviews during w1 and w2. The perception of COVID-19 as a threat was examined using relevant items of the Brief Illness Perception (BIP) questionnaire. Results: The BIP score increased from 9.18 (SD = 7.132) to 14.58 (SD = 6.956) between w1 and w2 (p < 0.001). Although this population is at high risk their overall perception of COVID-19 as a threat was low in the beginning, but surged during w2. Main reasons were increased effects on personal life and elevated concerns about the pandemic, but did not include the educational aspect of COVID-19. Conclusions: Tailored risk communication strengthens the mental health of people in a public health crisis and ensures the success of governmental guidelines.

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic in a Brazilian High-Volume Aortic Center.

INTRODUCTION: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic brought an unprecedented lack of control of what was to come. The intent of this document is to provide a balance of how much was ceased to be done for patients with aortic disease, to assess the mortality of these patients, and to show what happened to those who became COVID-19 positive during their hospitalization. METHODS: From April 1st to July 31st 2020, the worst period of the pandemic in São Paulo, Brazil, the Institute's aortic surgical patients operated on were evaluated and those were compared with patients operated during the same period in 2019. RESULTS: In 2019, 88 surgeries were performed; most of them were elective (66 [75%]), 10 were urgent, and 12 were emergency surgeries. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we operated on only 31 patients, being 74.2% non-elective surgeries (P<0,001). There was a higher mortality for patients operated on during the pandemic surge of COVID-19 (P<0,001), but it was not specifically related to infected patients. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on surgical volume and outcome of patients with aortic disease, although it did not directly increase mortality.

A case of aortic dissection with highly suggestive features of COVID-19.

INTRODUCTION: Aortic dissection is a cardiovascular emergency with an overall in-hospital mortality rate of 27.4%, and with every hour without intervention, the mortality rate increases by 1%-2% in the first 48 hours. Thoracic aortic dissection typically presents with tearing chest, back, or abdominal pain. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a viral disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov2), which has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) and usually manifests with respiratory symptoms, including cough, shortness of breath, flu-like symptoms, and fever. This case report highlights an important impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the identification and management of aortic dissection in the emergency department. CASE REPORT: A 35-year-old Bahraini male, a suspected case of Marfan syndrome, presented with complaints of shortness of breath and worsening productive cough after returning from the United States (U.S). He denied any chest, back, or abdominal pain, dizziness, weakness in any limb, gait disturbance, headache, or change in vision. He was considered high risk for COVID-19 because of the recent travel and respiratory symptoms and was diagnosed incidentally with ascending aortic dissection along with a right lung consolidation. His SARS-Cov2 PCR came negative thrice during hospital stay, and he underwent elective cardiothoracic surgery. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic has been a major stressor for the healthcare system worldwide, inflicting serious threats. Aortic dissection is one of the major life-threatening diseases that needs to be identified early on in the emergency department; however, in this case delayed diagnosis raised significant concerns due to underlying evolving triaging system for COVID-19 and atypical and overlapping clinical presentation. Further research is needed to look for COVID-19-associated factors, affecting the standard of care in the emergency department. Improving handover can directly impact patient care; therefore, it should be optimized.